U n’ I with Rashmi Shetty

Our guests today are Deepa & Sridhar Ranganathan. Sridhar is a silicon valley returned technologist who is the Founder and CEO of CloodOn Inc - a technology company to enhance the ability to teach and learn in the new world of online-based education. He is also the Founder and CEO of the Shankar Mahadevan Academy, which uses CloodOn/SeekLMS to teach Indian Classical Music and other forms of music worldwide.

Deepa is an engineer turned author who is a director at the Academy & develops the Music curriculum for children. She has a simple philosophy for life - live and let live, be kind and respectful to everyone around you. She loves to travel with her husband and daughter as it is the best way to learn and grow

Their purpose is best described by, Sridhar who says, "My quest is as simple as our ability to put food on people's table, learning, teaching, performing or just listening to music or admiring their own painting, their written word, something that makes them happy without a care of anybody judging them.... just get them to believe they are worth it and let them live it!”

Our guest today is Jithin C Nedumala, Co-founder of Make A Difference popularly called MAD, at the age of 19, with a vision to enable the most vulnerable children to break out of the vicious cycle of poverty. He was awarded the Ashoka fellowship for developing The Self Organizing Community Model that provides a lifelong support system for Children in Need of Care & Protection and enables them to achieve equitable outcomes.

Make a Difference (MAD) mobilizes young leaders to ensure equitable outcomes for children living in shelter homes. As of today, Make a Difference works with 5000 children living in 83 shelter homes in 23 cities across India. MAD's highly efficient delivery model annually mobilizes 400 Fellows and 3500 volunteers to deliver a range of interventions aimed at helping children overcome their challenges despite the circumstances they face.

As the CEO of MAD, Jithin’s mission is to solve the problem on its full scale by 2030.

Listen as Jithin shares the inspiring journey, the challenges, the highs, the lows, and his life lessons.

You can read all details & contact him on:

Website: www.makeadiff.in

Facebook: www.facebook.com/makeadiff

Instagram: instagram.com/makeadiffindia

Twitter: twitter.com/makeadiff

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we have with us, Kavitha Krishnamoorthy, the Founder and Managing Trustee of Kilikili, a network of parents of children with disabilities, supported by professionals and volunteers. A social development professional (MSW) by training, her experience of working for more than two decades on child rights and development issues, coupled with her experience as a mother to a child with autism, led her to the question,” why are children with a disability not seen in public play spaces?

Kilikili emerged out of this enquiry, with a mission to create inclusive public play spaces where all children, irrespective of their abilities, could play together.

A certified Arts-Based therapist, Kavitha has, in recent years, been involved in exploring the relationship that children with autism have with the Arts, through initiatives she co-evolved that facilitate children’s natural artistic expression.

She currently co-directs The CanBridge Academy in Chennai - a college-like space for young adults with autism that seeks to impart life skills that would enable them to lead a life of dignity, in the community, doing what has meaning for them.

Our guest today is Aravindan Arumugam an Origami Transformation Coach and the founder of Unfold & Rewire 3691 System. He is on a mission to help 100,000 adults, who are stuck in an emotional cul-de-sac to embrace change and experience an epiphany to discover their life's purpose using the art of paper folding.

A childhood bond with the super 8 at home helmed him to the gold medal for Direction & Screenplay at the Film and Television Institute of Tamilnadu. Aravindan's work has been at the cutting edge, with a pressing need to innovate and embrace a uniquely naturalistic tone in all his work - a heightened realism, which seeks to reveal grace in the ordinary

Armed with the meticulous complexities of the west and the chaotic simplicity of the east - Aravindan has become a multidisciplinary artist creating powerful imagery with a blend of filmmaking, visual effects, motion control, projection mapping & origami. Aravindan has the credit for over 14 feature films & several commercials as Visual Effects Supervisor and is now in the midst of his feature film Direction. Aravindan extensively exchanges his ideas & techniques through workshops & masterclasses on Origami, Visual Effects & Philosophy.

Listen in as he shares his amazing life and influences that made him a filmmaker, origami artist & a palmist too!

Our guest today is Harish Bijoor a Brand-domain specialist operating out of Bengaluru, India. He runs a unique boutique consulting outfit branded “Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.”, a brand name that has a consulting presence across the markets of Hong Kong, Seattle, London, Istanbul, Dubai, and the Indian sub-continent.

Harish has recently published a book titled, “Marketing Trends – Smart Insights into the world of Indian Business”, a serious book written in a style that is distinctly young and MTV-ish!

He is currently involved in his second book on core branding. The book is titled, ”Brand Irrationals: a fundamental journey into brand-think”

He loves Bangalore, but hates all the garbage being dumped around & believes it will be the biggest challenge of the new millennium!

Listen in as Harish Bijoor clarifies the changing branding scenario, online presence, personal branding & attitudinal Shifts in the new normal.

My guest today is Dr. Srivi Kalyan - an artist, designer, educator, writer, and researcher. She works at the fluid and exciting intersection of arts, media, education, design, environment, and self-reflection. She is the Founder-Director of Fooniferse Arts Pvt. Ltd.

She is one of the Deans for the interdisciplinary practices in Law, Environment, and Planning at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design, and Technology, Bengaluru, India and heads the B.Des and M.Des programs in Information Arts and Information Design Practices and also the M.Des program in Earth Education and Communication. She has also designed an integrated 5-year Doctoral program in Reimagining Transitions.

Her details are on http://www.sriviliveshere.com/

Listen in as she shares her journey as a 5-year-old who wrote her first poem to the doctoral work that locates itself in the fields of artistic practice and aesthetics at the juncture of ecological consciousness, environmental ethics, and pedagogy, with specific focus on Indian systems of knowledge.

My guest today is V. Nandakumar an IRS officer who is currently the Additional Commissioner of Income Tax, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India

Selected to the Indian Revenue Service the year 2005,

He has trained and served as Dy Registrar of Cooperatives Societies

Asst Director Rural Development

Deputy Collector Trainee.

He has worked in Income Tax in various capacities as

Assistant Commissioner/Director

Dy Commissioner/Director

Private Secretary to Union Minister

He was chosen as Top20 Youth Icon of India by India Today

Best Auditor of the Year,2019

His different missions are:

துனிந்து நில் – Program to reach 2.5 Lakhs Rural, Tribal, Slum, First Generation students, orphans, Government School & College Students every year

விண்ணை தாண்டி-Program for training the Government & Aided School and College Teachers

அடயாளம்- Mentoring and grooming 20000 Civil Service aspirants (including Visually and Physically Challenged) every year.

Listen in As Nandakumar shares his journey from being a school dropout, a dyslexic, to being a topper in Geography and the magical miracle of meeting Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam who gave him clarity on what to do.

Our guest today is Dipika Trehan; A Philanthropreneur creating a global impact towards Equity and Inclusion. She is the Founder of The H.O.W Forum and Corporate Diva. Her organization works across verticals of holistic employee wellbeing & A women leadership development platform; Corporate Diva, that aims at transforming women professionals into women Leaders. The platform addresses the upskilling and support needs of the entire lifecycle of women professionals. From getting women in university Corporate ready to realization and activation of emerging women leaders to segueing women into senior leadership to returning career women and women entrepreneurs, Corporate Diva has enrichment for all.

The organization has global footprints across 12 countries, the most recent being South Africa and USA.

Dipika Trehan Has been awarded as top 100 global Diversity and Inclusion Leaders by ET NOW. An awardee of Representing India on a 4-week scholarship to Israel, for Innovation in women's health program, Applauded in person by Ms. Cherie Blair for her work in women leadership development and honored as Iconic women by Women Economic Forum. She is also listed as the Top Impactful Woman CEO, building women leaders in times of the COVID Pandemic, and has recently been awarded as Karnataka's Top Woman Leader.

Listen in as Dipika shares her journey, her triggers, her high points & her dreams!

Dr. Deepti Navaratna is a musician and neuroscientist currently serving as the Regional Director, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Bengaluru. Her research interests span neuroscience, arts, and history; exploring new frontiers of interdisciplinary knowledge. She is a Chevening Clore Fellow (2021-22), she is recognized as one of the most creative artists and dynamic cultural leaders across the globe.

Deepti currently serves as the Regional Director, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, Bengaluru, India. She heads the centre’s research, academic and outreach activities at the intersection of science and humanities - with a focus on Indian knowledge systems. Deepti holds a doctorate degree in Neuroscience and has authored over twenty original scientific research papers, several book chapters and has over 500 citations to her credit. Her details are on: http://www.deeptinavaratna.net/

Our guest today is Naveen Varshneya is the founder of Health and Wellbeing company www.curedemy.com, an engineer, serial entrepreneur & and the author of the book “Meditation-The Cure”. His research and extensive work with patients help him establish that “The state of Meditation is the state of Cure.” A simple statement from a random book got stuck in his mind and lead him to the path he is now passionate about:

– ‘A balanced electromagnetic field is the secret of well-being and health’. It was these mystical powers that he wanted to convert into science.

Loved the way Naveen a multiple TEDx speaker, clearly explains how a small alteration can bring in a massive shift in our health and that we are Blessings of the Universe.

All we need to be is joyful!